Album Reviews

John Craigie is an incredible songwriter. He also happens to be a remarkable storyteller in live settings. Seattle’s alt weekly The Stranger, years ago, referred to Craigie as the “Lovechild of John Prine and Mitch Hedberg;” a pretty spot on description. As a result, much like Todd Snider before him, Craigie’s albums, no matter how […]

According to Tia Carrera’s bio on Small Stone, “A calendar page, never changed, hangs on the wall of a machine shop or a dingy dive bar. It’s 1970.” Frankly, listening to the band’s new album Tried and True, you’d have to believe that calendar hangs in Tia Carrera’s rehearsal space. You have to give this […]

Spirit Fingers is a group that shuns the term supergroup, feeling that it puts limitations on their desire to improvise collectively.  Peace follows the band’s eponymous 2018 debut and the group is intact excepting Max Gerl now replacing original bassist Hadrien Feraud. Leader and keyboardist Greg Spero has been mentored by Miles Davis alumni Robert […]

The Canadian award-winning singer/songwriter/pianist Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne is known primarily for his energetic boogie-woogie piano style, his flashy outfits, and engaging showmanship. Here on Go, Just Do It! he reveals that he’s well-versed in many styles of the blues, R&B, and, for good measure, a little hip-hop too. Wayne realizes he’s branching out some […]

In 2017 Built To Spill acted as the backing band for Daniel Johnston during a tour of the Pacific Northwest. While practicing for the tour BTS recorded live versions of Johnston’s tunes and the next time the group entered the studio to work on original material they couldn’t let the cover songs go, the result […]

Sometimes terrific albums are the ones the artist never really intended to make. Abbey Road comes to mind as the prime example among many others. Such is the case for Norah Jones and Pick Me Up Off The Floor, a collection of songs she didn’t release but kept growing on her. After 2016’s Day Breaks, […]

Katonah, NY native Nir Felder burst on the scene six years ago with his debut Golden Age that garnered praise from many corners, some hailing him as “the next big jazz guitarist.” Since then Felder has honed his chops both touring with his trio and serving as a sideman for formidable players such as Erykah […]

Sarah Jarosz was hailed as a bluegrass prodigy long before she even graduated high school. It was her skills as a multi-instrumentalist that initially gained her attention but she has since gone on to achieve success as a singer-songwriter. The Texas native has released four solo albums, won three Grammy awards, and most recently garnered widespread […]

It’s a bit too easy and unfair to lump the Southern music sister duo, the Atlanta-bred, Nashville-based Rebecca and Megan Lovell, as just another blues act. They are more wide-reaching, more primal, and at times more unsettling than other acts. They hit hard and loud but in a more raw, expressive way than many blues-rockers. […]

The Manchester, England trio, GoGo Penguin (GGP) have racked up rave reviews for inspiration and originality since 2013, when they settled on their current line-up of Chris Illingworth (piano), Rob Turner (drums) and Nick Blacka (bass). Fusing jazz, classical and electronic influences (amongst others) with a thirst for innovation, they won the Mercury Prize for […]

Since they formed in 2013, Run The Jewels has released powerful hip hop and that streak continues on their newest offering which arrived early to play as a soundtrack during these turbulent times of June 2020. The murder of unarmed black men at the hands of the police, divisive racist political tactics, and hollow religious […]

Hinds, Madrid’s own beloved four-piece have finally put out their third album, The Prettiest Curse after an unfortunate postponement of the original release date. The anticipation only makes the actual release more anticipated by the band’s large fan base. Since 2011 when singer/guitarists Carla Cosials and Ana Perrote were playing covers as “Deers” and releasing […]

Jah Sun is a West Coast reggae artist. His new album Magic and Madness is his seventh full-length album, and it is a call for mindfulness and peace. Of the album, Jah Sun said, “One of the biggest takeaways…was realizing the synergy between me and my producer Jallanzo. We worked really well together and have […]

Muzz’s new self-titled LP is the group’s very first and is comprised of three accomplished musicians who have spent their time in various rock circles. Paul Banks (vocals) is the lead singer of Interpol, Matt Barrick (drums) was the drummer for The Walkmen, and Josh Kaufman the multi-instrumentalist who has produced for The National, Josh […]

Sure, Michael McDermott has been compared to Dylan and Springsteen before but one listen to the blistering opening title track “What in the World” will have you thinking Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” one minute, Willie Nile in the chorus, and Petty for the jangling guitars. McDermott’s opener is politically charged with lines such as” new […]

After their debut and a few highly regarded EP’s, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s second full length Sideways to New Italy continues flaunting the band’s strengths; bright and shiny indie pop-rock.  The Australian five-piece, Fran Keaney (vocals, acoustic guitar), Tom Russo (vocals, guitar), Joe White (vocals, lead guitar), Joe Russo (bass), Marcel Tussie (drums) continues in […]

Magdalen Accepts the Invitation is the third album from husband and wife team Mark Olson (founder of The Jayhawks) and Norwegian singer/songwriter multi-instrumentalist Ingunn Ringvold, recording as they typically do in the isolation of the desert, not far from their desert home in Joshua Tree, California. Imaginations run wild here but much of it is […]

John Scofield has virtually never repeated himself over the course of his near fifty-year career. That is, except with regard to musicians with whom he has regularly collaborated on records as diverse as Past Present and Country For Old Men. Bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bill Stewart are among the players on those records of […]

Dre Island is a reggae artist who has been promising his fans a debut album for five years. Admittedly, it’s hard to wait for a new album from an artist you really enjoy. However, if you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right. Sure, Dre Island has made his fans wait […]

Ambrose Akinmusire, one of today’s leading trumpeters and contemporary jazz voices, returns to the way he began his career with 2011’s When the Heart Emerges Glistening. His are the somber tones of what black life in America means to him refracted through equal measures of jazz and blues. While the mood is requisitely dark, on […]